Electric engine cooling jacket heater



Sept. 28, 1965 E. WINDSOR 3,209,123

ELECTRIC ENGINE COOLING JACKET HEATER Filed May 29, 1963 Z4 25 Z6 Z7 viii 22 52. '& j 1 a4 50 la \i i 15 12. I W H- VII- -to prevent leakage of the coolant.

United States Patent.

3,209,123 ELECTRIC ENGINE COOLING JACKET HEATER Lynne E. Windsor, 251 Beaverbrook St., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Filed May 29, 1963, Ser. No. 284,260 6' Claims. (Cl. 219-208) My invention relates to new and useful improvements to block heaters, particularly block heaters for automobile engines including frost plugs in the engine block through which block heaters are normally attached.

The frost plug aperture in conventional engine blocks although useful for the insertion and retention of block heaters, nevertheless presents many difficulties in the attachment of the block heater to the block.

It is desirable that an efficient seal is provided in order It is also desirable to have a block heater which is readily attachable to the block through the frost plug aperture. And it is also desirable to have a method of attachment which provides positive location for the depth penetration of the block heater with relation to the thickness of the engine block wall.

The'present invention includes these desirable features and at the same time is relatively economical to manufacture.

The principal object and essence of my invention is therefore to provide a block heater of the character herewithin described which is readily attachable to any engine block through the frost plug aperture and which not only provides an efficient coolant seal but also a positive mechanical lock to hold the device in position against vibration and pressure.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described in which the depth of penetration of the heater body within the engine block wall is controllable within limits.

A yet further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which can be inserted and locked into position merely by tightening one bolt.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is simple in construction, economical in manufacture, and otherwise well suited to the purpose for which it is designed.

With the foregoing objects in view, and such other objects and advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side sectional elevation of my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of FIGURE 1 reduced in scale and with the engine block portion not illustrated.

FIGURE 3 is a side sectional elevation illustrating an alternative embodiment of my invention.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

Proceeding therefore to describe my invention in detail reference character indicates the wall of a conventional engine block having a cylindrical aperture 11 formed therein normally carrying the conventional frost plug, which of course is removed for the insertion of the block heater collectively designated 12.

The block heater includes a cylindrical body 13 having a conventional heater element 14 extending therethrough and being soldered or brazed in position in conventional manner.

ice

The element 14 is provided with terminals 15 upon the outer side thereof and a shield cup 16 surrounds the terminals for protection purposes and it should be understood that these terminals are connectable to any source of electrical energy in the conventional manner in order to provide power to the heater element 14 which, of course, is within the engine block.

The-cylindrical body portion 13 of the heater is provided with a concentrically located shoulder 17 upon the inner side 18 thereof, said shoulder carrying the lower end of a concentrically located screw-threaded aperture 19 which extends to the outer surface 20 of the body portion 13. This screw threaded aperture receives cap screw 21 and it will be noted that the aperture is bored out as it 22 upon the outer portion of its length. Preferably three drillings 23 extend from the bored out portion 22 radially outwardly through the body portion, said drilling carrying hardened pins 24, the outer ends 25 of which are point sharpened as clearly shown.

The inner ends are also provided with conical faces 26 engageable by a wedge sleeve 27 formed on or fitted around the cap screw 21 adjacent the head 28 thereof and it will be noted that the lower end 29 of this wedge sleeve is chamfered at an angle substantially equal to the chamfer of the conical ends 26 of the pins 24.

Below the drillings 23 and towards the inner face 18 of the main body portion 13, I have formed an annular shoulder 30 adapted to receive a conventional sealing O- 7 ring 31 and this O-ring is a push s-eal fit into the aperture 11 of the engine block wall 10.

' From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that if the bolt 21 is loosened so that the pins 25 can be retracted inwardly within the drillings 23, the block heater can be pushed into the frost plug aperture 11 whereupon tightening of the bolt 21 will force the sleeve 27 downwardly into engagement with the inner ends 26 of the pins 24 and that the cooperating tapers of the sleeve and the pins will force the pins outwardly so that the pointed ends 25 engage the wall of the aperture 11 thus locking the heater firmly into position. At the same time, of course, the O-ring 31 seals the block heater against leakage of coolant therepast.

It will be appreciated that it is desirable to locate the penetration of the block heater within the aperture 11 and in his connection I have provided three lugs 32 around the outer periphery 33 of the body portion 13 and these lugs register against the outer surface 34 of the engine block wall 10. I prefer to make these lugs so that they can, if desired, be bent inwardly or outwardly within limits thus giving a certain degree of adjustment to the depth of penetration of the block heaterwithin the wall 10.

An alternative embodiment is shown in FIGURE 3 whbiich has some of the reference characters where applica e.

The main body of the block heater is sealed within the aperture 11 within the block 10 by a similar sealing O-ring 31 seated within the annular recess 30 around the periphery of the body portion 13.

However, in this embodiment, the mechanical locking means consists of a central bolt 34 passing through a centrally located aperture 35 in the body portion, and having a cross bar 36 formed integrally upon the end 37 of the bolt. The ends 38 of the cross bar are adapted to engage the boundary of the frost plug aperture 11 upon the inner face 39 of the wall 10*.

A clamping nut 40 incorporating a seal 41 engages over the screw-threaded outer end 42 of the bolt 34 and seals the aperture 35 against coolant passing therethrough.

In operation, the nut 40 is threaded right back towards the end 42 of the bolt 34 so that the cross bar 36 can be maneuvered to the aperture 11.

3 The nut 40 is then tightened thus mechanically clampvting the heater into the block without deformation of the ring taking place.

What I claim as my invention is: 1. In association with a cylinder block of an automobile having a frost plug aperture formed therein; a block heater adapted to be inserted within said frost plug aperture, said block heater comprising in combination a cylindrical body portion, an electric heater element extending therethrough and connectable, on one side thereof to a source of electrical energy and extending, within the said cylinder block, upon the other side of said body portion,

sealing means c-oacting between the periphery of said body portion and the bore of said frost plug aperture, and means coacting between said body portion and said bore of said frost plug aperture to mechanically lock said spondinglyscrew threaded through the portion thereof from the point of intersection of said drilling therewith, to the inner end of said cenral bore adjacent said other side, a pin freely mounted for endwise movement within said drilling, said pin being point sharpened upon the outer end thereof, and cam means coacting between said bolt and the inner end of said pin adapted to urge said pin' vradially outwardly when said bolt is tightened, whereby said point sharpened end of said pin is projected outwardly beyond the periphery of said body portion.

2. The device according to claim 1 in which said means coacting between said bolt and the inner end of said pin comprises a tapered shoulder formed upon said bolt adjacent the head thereof, a tapered end on the inner end of said pin engageable by said tapered shoulder.

3. The device according to claim 1 which includes means on said body portion engageable with the outer surface of said cylinder block around said frost plug aperture to limit the depth of penetration of said body portion within said frost plug aperture, said means including at least one projecting lug formed integrally with said body portion and projecting radially from said body portion.

4. The device according to claim 2 which includes means on said body portion engageable with the outer surface of said cylinder block around said frost plug aperture to limit the depth of penetration of said body portion within said frost plug aperture, said means including at least one projecting lug formed integrally with said body portion and projecting radially from said body 'portion.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,401,847 6/46 Urbant et a1. 219-20s X 2,783,352 2/57 McKay 219-208 X 2,824,945 2/58 Derumaux 219-208 X RICHARD M. WOOD, Primary Examiner.

ANTHONY BARTIS, Examiner. 

1. IN ASSOCIATION WITH A CYLINDER BLOCK OF AN AUTOMOBILE HAVING A FROST PLUG APERTURE FORMED THEREIN; A BLOCK HEATER ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED WITHIN SAID FROST PLUG APERTURE, SAID BLOCK HEATER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A CYLINDRICAL BODY PORTION, AN ELECTRIC HEATER ELEMENT EXTENDING THERETHROUGH AND CONNECTABLE, ON ONE SIDE OF SAID THEREOF TO A SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY AND EXTENDING, WITHIN THE SAID CYLINDER BLOCK, UPON THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID BODY PORTION, SEALING MEANS COACTING BETWEEN THE PERIPHERY OF SAID BODY PORTION AND THE BORE OF SAID FROST PLUG APERTURE, AND MEANS COATING BETWEEN SAID BODY PORTION AND SAID BORE OF SAID FROST PLUG APERTURE TO MECHANICALLY LOCK SAID HEATER IN POSITION, SAID MEANS TO LOCK SAID BODY PORTION TO THE BORE OF SAID FROST PLUG APERTURE INCLUDING A CENTRAL BORE IN SAID BODY PORTION EXTENDING FROM SAID ONE SIDE TO ADJACENT SAID OTHER SIDE, AT LEAST ONE RADIALLY SITUATED DRILLING EXTENDING FROM THE PERIPHERY OF SAID BODY PORTION TO SAID CENTRAL BORE, A SCREW-THREADED BOLT ENGAGEABLE WITHIN SAID CENTRAL BORE, SAID CENTRAL BORE BEING CORRESPONDINGLY SCREW THREADED THROUGH TE PORTION THEREOF FROM THE POING OF INTERSECTION OF SAID DRILLING THEREWITH, TO THE INNER END OF SAID CENTRAL BORE ADJACENT SAID OTHER SIDE, A PIN FREELY MOUNTED FOR ENDWISE MOVEMENT WITHIN SAID DRILLING, SAID PIN BEING POINT SHARPENED UPON THE OUTER END THEREOF, AND CAM MEANS COACTING BETWEEN SAID BOLT AND THE INNER END OF SAID PIN ADAPTED TO URGE SAID PIN RADIALLY OUTWARDLY WHEN SAID BOLT IS TIGHTENED, WHEREBY SAID POINT SHARPENED END OF SAID PIN IS PROJECTED OUTWARDLY BEYOND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID BODY PORTION. 